Barca, Atletico Miss Out on Record

The club football match resumed last Friday after the international break, although most of the big clubs in Europe starts playing their games yesterday. And since it was my day off, I have the luxury of watching almost all of the games especially Real Madrid, Barca and Atletico Madrid. While the rest of then can only be monitored through live commentary since it has an overlapping times and if not, it is played simultaneously especially the EPL and Serie A. And it only left me no other choice but concentrate in my favorite clubs.

Image from FC Barcelona

Barca and Atletico Madrid were aiming for their ninth straight league win and subsequently will match Real Madrid’s four-decade long record of nine straight wins. At first, it looks like both Barca and the Los Colchoneros are going to make history as their opponents are sitting at bottom and mid-table, respectively. But in the end Osasuna and Espanyol are making it hard and frustrate their opponents with great defending and eventually missed out on record. The sad part is that, Atletico not only miss a record nine straight wins, they also dropped their first points of the season with a 0-1 loss to the spirited Espanyol.

Image from wikipedia

While Barca wasn’t able to break the deadlock despite the return of Messi from thigh injury and they also dropped their first points of the season but was lucky enough to earn a point with the draw. And stats show that it was the first time that Barca have failed to score in 65 La Liga games. Yet I am worried for they might come back stronger for the first El Clasico match of the season this coming Saturday, 26 October.

The Elusive La Decima

Last night’s curtain opener for the 2013 Champions League season has produced a remarkable number of goals and I believe it broke the record of goals scored by teams with 30 goals in one night of matches. And it was the Merengues and CRon who leads the pack as they hammered Galatasaray right in their own turf at the Turk Telekom Arena despite the hostility and dominance of the home side. And for the fact that history is not on Real Madrid’s side as they have lost in two occasions when they have played away against Galatasaray.

For the first 32 minutes, Galatasaray and the home crowd put the Los Blancos on the back foot with relentless pressure and testing Real’s defenders with so many opportunities on goal. It was even aggravated with Iker Casillas leaving the match with an injury on his rib that he sustained after colliding with Sergio Ramos. But if you cannot convert those opportunities at the back of the net especially against a team like Real Madrid then you’re going to suffer at the end. And that exactly what happened after 33 minutes when Isco delivered the first of Real Madrid’s 6 goals of the night.

From then on, Galatasaray seems struggling to impose their game plan after falling behind and it became worse when Drogba was pulled off after sustaining a shoulder injury. As if the Turkish Champions fighting spirit were drained when Benzema double Real’s lead and Ronaldo do the rest as he grabbed his 21^st hat trick for Real and set up one more easy strike for Benzema. So with the score of 6-1 at the very first game of the competition, Real Madrid made a statement of intent to the rest of the team. But will that be enough to finally capture the elusive La Decima?

Image from corazonblanco.com

Bale to Make His Debut against Villareal

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that the world record signing Welshman winger will make his debut in the away match against Villareal although it is not certain whether he will be part of the starting XI yet he definitely will play. For sure many eyes are set on him as he takes his first competitive match in a Los Blancos shirt and expectations are running so high. Until then no one knows what he can give back to Real Madrid being the most expensive football player in the world.

What’s more interesting in the coming match is what position he will be playing in order not to cause disruptions and problems in linking up with CRon, one of the best players in the world. Some experts and analysts believe that Bale will be playing more in central position to be most productive and probably the reason why Ozil was sold to Arsenal, so to free up some space for him. With Ronaldo and Di Maria on the flanks, it could be the best solution to maximize the effect of Bale’s arrival and get more goals in return.

But then again, that too remains to be seen if Bale and CRon will play along side and if they will jibe together on the pitch. And Bale needs to score a goal as soon as possible to fend off the overwhelming pressure and criticism that surrounds his world breaking transfer. So from tomorrow we will find out who lives to the expectation of many.

Image from theguardian.com

Bale, the Real Deal

The long awaited transfer of Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu has been confirmed after so many rumors and apprehensions. The only thing that is not quite understood is whether Real Madrid broke the record again for the most expensive transfer in history in acquiring Bale from Totttenham. Depending on what newspaper you are reading, you will definitely see different figures and you cannot get a right answer until Tottenham will declare it during the annual stakeholders meeting. That definitely will happen this coming December and we’ll see who is telling the truth.

The fans of Real Madrid finally saw their new Galactico as Bale was presented at the Bernabeu earlier yesterday to the delight of more than twenty thousand spectators of Los Blancos. And perhaps his unveiling could be just a formality since reports came out that Adidas had already started selling Real Madrid shirts with Bale’s name. Adding to it was another news report that Bale had already had a pair of football shoes waiting for him at the Bernabeu.

But even before his arrival there are already a lot of speculations whether Bale could be the Real deal or not? And that if he can live up to his huge price tag as the most expensive football player in history, remains to be seen. For now, everyone is back to their respective country for the qualifying matches for the World Cup next year in Brazil.

Image from thesun.co.uk.

Gareth Bale’s Summer Transfer Saga

The summer transfer window is all about the mega transfer deal of Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu which will break world record deal in history. But Tuesday has passed and still there was no official announcement of Bale at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is now Thursday and the closing of the transfer window is fast approaching. Real Madrid also admitted that they have encountered unspecified problems that delayed the signings of Gareth Bale. But then, as I said in my previous post that Bale’s Real Madrid shirt was on sale already and perhaps this small snag in his transfer is simply to add spice before the transfer window closes on 2 September.

image source

On the other hand, Tottenham’s manager, Andre Villas-Boas, said that Spurs is considering fining Bale as he did not show up at the White hart Lane for two consecutive days already. Although Bale has failed to report for training, many still believe that despite the lengthy transfer negotiations it will still be pushed through, perhaps at the very end. One very obvious evidence was the Spurs busy spending in acquiring players from other clubs and perhaps they are just waiting for the desired successor to the Welsh superstar. In fact, Tottenham has already acquired the service of Paulinho, Chadli, Capoue and striker Roberto Soldado. They are also finalizing to close the deal of Roma forward Erik Lamela and Bucharest defender Chiriches.

And once the deal of Lamela and Chiriches are done, Spurs will break their own transfer record again for the third time this summer. Then probably when those deals are finalized, Tottenham will formally accept Real Madrid’s offer and to finally put an end on Gareth Bale’s summer transfer saga so Real can now unveil their latest “Galactico” signing.

Gareth Bale Arrives in Spain

The long speculation of Gareth Bale transferring to Real Madrid this summer has come to an end after Real agreed to a world record deal worth 86 million pounds. And will officially become the most expensive football player in history, breaking CRon’s 80 million pounds transfer fee in 2009. Although Tottenham’s manager insists that a deal has yet to be completed but Gareth Bale’s arrival in Spain is more than enough to hint that he finally agreed to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

There are more indications that the deal has finally been completed as Bale was left out for the match against Swansea although the Spurs are claiming that he is nursing an injury. Then after Bale was given two days off, he flew and arrives in Spain on Saturday, on a private jet and waiting for the go signal to travel to Madrid for the medical check-up and formally sign the contract. The third indication is that, there’s already a stage intended for Bale’s presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu and could be unveiled as early as Tuesday. That is because the Spurs manager said that if the deal is not completed then he expects Bale to be back at the White Hart Lane for training.

Lastly, the more daring stance is Real Madrid’s number 11 jersey with Bale’s name at the back was up for sale in one of the store in Madrid last week and in fact, Gareth Bale’s name already appeared in Madrid’s official website but was then taken out after awhile. Instances like this is not new for Real Madrid as it happened also to Luka Modric’s apparent moved to the Bernabeu last season. So when Gareth Bale arrives in Spain, it is now considered a done deal.

Image from wikimedia commons.

The 2013 Football Season Begins

The weekends will again be busy as the top four European league’s 2013 football season begins. The EPL and La Liga opened their respective season just last Saturday with impressive matches and the La Liga’s top clubs made a winning start for the 2013 season. Almost all of the big clubs from EPL, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and La Liga recorded a good start except for a few who either lost or draw their opening matches.

Manchester United made a good start together with the returning Mourinho in Chelsea’s 2-0 win but Arsenal wasn’t that lucky as they are defeated 1-3 by the relentless Aston Villa. Then EPL’s adaptation of the new goal-line technology was tested for the first time in ManU’s winning debut with a good result. While Manchester City’s pursuit to recapture the Premier league championship will be tested later tonight at home against New Castle.

Barcelona’s win probably the most impressive start among all top European clubs as they stormed to a 7-0 rout of a weaker Levante side. They have displayed that the tiki-taka style of play are back and not gone yet and Levante was simply out performed with Barca’s highly structured system. But it was a different story for the Los Blancos as they are made to sweat by Betis and narrowly escape a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu. In fact, Real Madrid came from a goal behind before Benzema finally made his mark and it was only in the dying minutes of the second half when Real took the lead with a fine header from new signing Isco. Although the match should have not ended with just only three goals as there are so many wasted opportunities coming from both teams.

And speaking of wasted opportunities, champions PSG succumb to a surprising 1-1 draw at home to Ajaccio. What’s more disturbing is that PSG made more than 30 shots but only able to find the back of the net once. And just like with Real Madrid, debutante Cavani made a perfectly curled shot four minutes before full time to salvage a point for Les Parisiens and they continue to fail to pick up its first win of the season under new coach Laurent Blanc.

Image from attackingsoccer.com

The Pre-season Friendly Games

As the 2013 football season is looming and within reach already, the friendly games are finishing up too. And speaking of friendly games, there are mixed opinions as to whether it is necessary or not as it can pose a big risk of injury to the players. In fact, there are several big and known names already sideline and or not able to join friendlies because of the injury that they sustained in one of their matches. And if that happens then it is a big blow to the team’s campaign for the coming season.  Some also believe that it has its own big purpose since this is the time that coaches can experiment the team rotations and gauge their capability before the season starts.

Image from lalate news

Most of the big football teams in Europe will start the 2013 season on mid August so they have less than two weeks to polish their preparation and perfect their tactics before kick-off time. And since I’m a big Real Madrid fan, I am following their friendly games and their preparations as well. I am just hoping that they will be able to get the services of Bale before the summer transfer window expires. There are already three players from Madrid who was sold during the transfer window and Higuain is the most notable player. And we all know that their arch rival Barca, already secured Neymar and surely it will make them tougher to beat. The only thing is that, Tito Vilanova is no longer on the pitch to guide them as he is still trying to recuperate from the health issues that he had.

And going back to the pre-season friendly games, it is interesting to watch Real Madrid and Chelsea as they face off in the GICC finals tomorrow. What’s interesting about it is that, Jose Mourinho, Chelsea’s coach, will face his former team whom he left just two months ago after the 2012 season ends.

Interesting 2013 European Football Season

The world of football in the coming season is quite complicated already and probably is no longer monopolized by the great Blaugranas as German clubs asserted their dominance in the Champions League Finals. And I’m sure many expect Bayern Munich to defend their treble when the season starts and I have little doubts, as of the moment, that they can’t knowing that Guardiola is on their bench and the team is still intact.

While the status of Barcelona, on the other hand, is quite intriguing and interesting to keep an eye on them. That I have said, because even they had captured Neymar, they also lost several key players like Thiago and David Villa but what’s more devastating is when Tito Vilanova resigned due to health reason. Another thing to watch very closely is the Messi and Neymar tandem if they’re going to play alongside.

Although I am a huge Real Madrid fan but I am not sure of their chances this season even if they have acquired some key players and that remains to be seen. Another equally interesting club to watch is Monaco as they have assembled an armory of talented footballers that surely will compete with the top side of League 1. And across the Atlantic, two teams has intrigue me so well so I will keep a close watch of both Man City and Chelsea as they bolstered their own team as well.

With that, it is indeed interesting to watch the 2013 European football season.

NB: Image from wikipedia.

Eight Days That Will Define Real Madrid’s Season

To the fans of Real Madrid, we all know that their current La Liga season is an ongoing roller coaster ride and defending the La Liga title is almost impossible. Perhaps, even Mourinho has already given up the pursuit for another La Liga title and was instead focusing on other important titles that are still very viable to accomplish. 

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As of the moment, Real Madrid lays third place in La Liga standing with a massive 15 points to catch up the league leader and arch rival Barca, making it very gloomy to overtake with the current performance displayed by Barcelona. And when Real Madrid had a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, their upcoming games within the span of eight days, will define Real’s season starting on the 26th February. 

First, the Los Blancos will face Barca at Camp Nou on 26 February for the second leg in their Copa del Rey semis. Madrid earned a 1-1 draw in the first leg and a win will give them a better chance to finish the season with silverware. A loss would mean giving all they got to at least trim Barcelona’s 15-point advantage in the second El Clasico at Bernabeu on 2 March. And lastly, if they don’t succeed, they will have one more chance to salvage a trophy-less season in the return leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford three days later (5 March) for another break in their pursuit of “La Decima”. 

That is indeed, a crucial eight days to define Real’s Season.

The World is waiting for Real-United Matchup

I guess I don’t have to say it that you have to mark your calendar on 13 February 2013 and you must not forget what you must do when your clock turns 1945GMT because as the Special One have said that the Champions League round of 16 clash between Real Madrid and Manchester United is what the world is waiting for. It is the matchup that the world wants, added Mourinho. 

It is perhaps the most anticipated match between Premier League and La Liga giants and probably much better to outshine the Champions League finals, but that was just me saying. ManU has never lost a single game since the start of 2013 and are victorious in 13 of their 17 past games. While the Los Blancos, on the other hand, perhaps are still enjoying their roller coaster ride of the season by winning those big matches just like what they did to Sevilla last Saturday and then dropping the ones against lowly clubs on the table. 

And so Mourinho continue that people are not waiting for any other game, so you better not miss out what the world is waiting for as Real Madrid and Manchester United face each other in the last 16 first leg tie at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, 13 February 2013, 1945GMT. As both teams are desperate to win their Champions League showdown but the obsession is much for Real as they seek to extend their record 9 Champions League titles.

The Roller Coaster Ride of the Season

It is undeniable that I am a die-hard fan of Real Madrid and it is one of the motivations that prompted me to watch “The Battle of the Champions” between Spain and Uruguay at the Khalifa International Stadium. But unfortunate events happened days before it was staged and some of Real Madrid’s Spanish players did not made in the line-up due to injuries they sustained during one of their La Liga matches. Most notably is the number 1 player and captain, Iker Casillas, hand injury from accidental kick by Arbeloa during their match against Valencia. 

But that’s not what this post is all about; I just don’t seem to understand what’s happening now for the reining La Liga champions this season with their see-saw games starting from the opening match. They won today with tough opponents and lose tomorrow with lowly and struggling clubs. They seem can’t gather themselves to get into the winnings ways that made them Spanish champions last season. Many have said that Real Madrid is mathematically cannot defend the La Liga title anymore as they lie third in the table and a whooping 16 points behind leaders Barca. 

So they are now focusing their view in winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions league instead but that won’t come very handy as they face not just tough but arduous opponents. In the former, they’re against arch rival Barca in the semi-finals, drawing 1-1 in the first leg at the Bernabeu and the return leg is later this month on 26 February at Camp Nou. While their Champions League quest in round of 16 will start on Wednesday at the Bernabeu against Premier League giants Manchester United. 

And of course you know then what I’d love to have from the results of the match yet have mixed feelings as they lost to Granada last weekend then dismantled Sevilla yesterday. With that alone, you can now imagine Real Madrid’s roller coaster ride of the season.

NB: Image from wikimedia commons.

The Slumping of Real Madrid Never Ends

With the way Barca and Atletico playing, there seems no way for Real Madrid of catching in the leaderboard. And another defeat last night at Malaga didn’t help the plan of resurgence and a repeat of La Liga trophy is nearly impossible yet statistically possible but that if Barca and Atletico will have a long spill of winless games next year. Unless Real Madrid starts winning again and a defeat of 4 or 5 games by leaders Barcelona will bring them back in contention but even that seems very unlikely.

With another Barca and Atletico win, the former heads into the Christmas break with insurmountable nine points lead at the top of the table. While the slumping Real Madrid is sixteen points adrift in the sinkhole with defeat last night at Malaga and a draw at home with struggling Espanyol. The Los Blancos’ fourth defeat of the season is two more than their entire defeats last season and all they can do to possibly raise a trophy is to concentrate in Copa del Rey and in the Champions League. Although they have a tricky path in the latter as they are paired with Manchester United in the last 16 draw.

Image from wikimedia commons.

Results of the Champions League Last 16 Draw

Finally the Champions League last 16 draw is out and some experts have predicted the results as it was drawn with seeming accuracy. There are reports a few days back that PSG players don’t want or would like to avoid facing Real Madrid at this early stage of the pairings. We all know that there are weaker teams included in the list and I think only Porto is fortunate enough not to face a much stronger opponent. Whereas, Real Madrid has to face the giant of the Premier League, ManU, which could be the most talk pairs when the games restarts on 13 February 2013.

The in-form Barca faced Milan and I’m sure they won’t face that much defiance as Milan is struggling to find their rhythm when Ibra and Thiago Silva moved to big spending PSG. That goes also to last season’s runner-up Dortmund as they are paired with Shakhtar Donetsk. PSG may do as well as Valencia is not also doing well in La Liga this season and have some inconsistent matches. In the end, champions Real Madrid and ManU has much thrill to watch although the former is still struggling at La Liga but they have great games in the knockout stage considering that are in the group of Death.

Image from The Times.

Real Madrid Woes Continue

Losing too much games isn’t good if you are going to defend a title especially when other teams are stepping up their play in a higher level. And it’s the reason why Real Madrid is only third in La Liga standings this season. Although it is still too early to tell if the defending champions will not be able to fight their way back in the title race and become a threat to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. 

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The recent away loss of Los Blancos at Real Betis (Copa del Rey match) doesn’t seem to show that they are back in contention despite winning against city rival Atletico Madrid. With already three losses in La Liga and five draws, it is by far another worse start of the season by Real Madrid and they have to climb and very long ladder in order to catch up with Barca at top of the standings. Currently, they are eleven points adrift from the leaderboard and are five points down from second place Atletico Madrid after beating Los Indios at the Bernabeu last weekend. 

That probably can be cut to two points next week if Los Blancos will win at Real Valladolid and Atletico Madrid lost to title contender Barca who still have to taste defeat this season. At the moment, Barcelona has won all their La Liga matches except for a single draw at the Bernabeu during the first El Clasico.

It Finally Become a Reality

As I have briefly mentioned in my last post, The Sluggish Start of the Champions, particularly on the side of Real Madrid about the pending move of the Croatian playmaker Luka Modric from Tottenham, has now finally become a reality after an extended lengthy summer negotiations. 

The fan favorite has arrived in Madrid a day after the Los Blancos tasted its first loss of the season. After passing a medical on Monday morning, he then signed a five-year contract reported to be worth 42 million euros though neither Tottenham nor Real Madrid discloses any financial details. And I guess, everyone is now relieved probably more so of Luka himself that the transfer negotiations has finally concluded before the window transfer closes at the end of the week. 

The addition of Luka Modric in the squad of Los Blancos could be a catalyst to get the troubled season of the defending champions Real Madrid back on track. And everyone is excited to see him on the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu for his first appearance as The Meringues for the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. But that would not come in handy as he needs to fight to win his place in Mourinho’s starting XI. He will be wearing the number 19 jersey and hopefully will put Madrid’s poor start of the season behind them.

Within Touching Distance

One down, one to go and that’s the reality now in the chase for the coveted La Liga championship. Real Madrid made it sure that the Champions League exit last Wednesday is already past and focusing on the remaining goal is what’s important if they’re going to have silverware this season. Although the last El Clasico victory at Nou Camp earlier last week is more than just a championship trophy for these arch rivals. In fact, it is the turning point why the Los Blancos is within touching distance of capturing their 32nd La Liga title and first in four years.

Barca visited the depleted Rayo Vallecano and was able to live another day and grasped a tiny breather in chasing for the 4^th successive title. It is still a slim chance though as Real Madrid will visit 7^th place Bilbao on Wednesday while Barcelona plays the resurgent and Qatari owned Malaga at home. A win by the Los Blancos will seal the game and lift the La Liga title no matter what the outcome of Barca’s match. With only two more games remaining, it is statistically impossible for Barca to overtake Real Madrid even if the latter will lose their last two games (which is very unlikely).

NB: Image from wikimedia commons.

The World of Football was brought to Standstill

I have watched live football in a 40” LCD and sleep late so I won’t just read the results on the news the day after. It was a very important game that I watched but the result is not good because it is not what I wanted it to be or perhaps, the one I expected. And with it, the world of football within me was brought to standstill including the urge to write. Not that I have nothing to write or had a writer’s block because I have so many pending topics to scribble but don’t have the motivation.

Anyway, this post was supposed to be posted two days ago right in the aftermath of Real Madrid’s stunning loss to Bayern Munich (at least to me). Although the Bavarians is a strong team but after a good start by the Los Blancos in the first half, they just can’t seem to find another goal that would seal the match and send them in the finals. Instead they were beaten by the resilient Bayern in another intense and nerve wreaking penalty shootout when the tied score can’t be decided with extra time added.

It started with CRon, Kaka follows when they both send the ball right where Neuer moved or was he just able to read where it goes? Two great players both had World Footballer of the year under their names yet blundered when their goals needed it most. Then Ramos finished it (another strong player) when he let the ball fly way above the crossbar instead of at the back of the net. Although Casillas did save Ronaldo and Kaka when he made his own great saves but three is perhaps to much for him to do and that’s where they lost (1-3) in penalty shootout. And Bayern Munich became the first team to ever play the Champions League finals at their own stadium.

Real Madrid Dethroned Barcelona in El Clasico…

After we came back at home from a day out in the city, I immediately tuned in to watch the most anticipated first Clasico in La Liga. I was surprised that the match had started already and it is already past half an hour and the sad thing was Real Madrid was down 1-0 too. After I ate my dinner the second half is already half way and I already lost hope that Real Madrid can now dethrone Barcelona. Then several minutes after that, Marcelo was brought down inside the penalty box and Ronaldo calmly put the ball at the back of the net while the goalkeeper went to the opposite side.

As the match dwindled to its last minutes I noticed something odd in the game after seeing a tall black player at the frontline of Madrid and later knew that it was Adebayor. And with that, it is pretty obvious that I am watching an old El Clasico so it was a big relief knowing that the 2011 Clasico hasn’t started yet. But I cannot see it live either for it is almost 11 in the evening and I have an early work in the morning and I will just have to be contented with the news result.

I woke up at 5:20 AM but I was actually awaken with my alarm at 5:15, carried my son to his high chair then turn on the TV. This time it’s already the real and updated El Clasico with 1-1 score and half time is almost finished. I know that I am not going to finish it yet still very hopefully, in fact, very high that the Merengues will emerge victorious in this Clasico considering that Benzema draw the first blood and was the fastest goal in the history of the Clasico.

image from yahoo sports

And so I went to work but still with doubts at the back of my mind whether Real Madrid will finally take a stronghold at the top of the leaderboard and topple Barca’s supremacy in La Liga. Along the way, I turned on my car radio and listen to the news which by luck was sports news that was airing the result of the first El Clasico.

And the prolific Barca showed their dominance again being the La Liga and the European Champions by perhaps demoralizing the Madrid side with a 3-1 come from behind victory. And probably Barca showed that they are not ready to be dethroned just yet…!

Ronaldo Break and Sets New Record

Cristiano Ronaldo tied a two-decade old Spanish football goal in a season at 38 but yesterday he made history for Real Madrid  when he breaks the old record for goals in a single season in La Liga when he scored twice in Real Madrid’s 8-1 demolition of the relegated bound Almeria. He has re-written the record books by setting a new Spanish league record at 40 goals.

image source

Ronaldo has erased the more than two-decade old record and will be crowned as the Pichichi King. He also surpassed Messi’s 52 goals scored in all competition with his 53 total number of goals this season but the latter will still have to see action on Saturday’s Champions League finals. While on the other hand, Barcelona has already been declared La Liga champions, capturing its third straight league trophy and will be playing on Saturday against Manchester United for the Champions League finals at Wembley.

The season is already over and the Los Blancos will just have to be contented with the single trophy they got after beating arch rival Barcelona in the Copa del Rey finals. And can only look forward for the next season.